Description
Book SynopsisCatechesis is not just about right teaching, it is a cultivation of a living faith within the community of the Church. Christian faith and theology are performed in the sacramental, communal, and missional life of the Church, and catechesis is an invitation into this lived reality. This book explores the nature of catechesis and how catechesis within our churches can shape the Christian community into an instrument of renewal in the world through the formation of holy living. It argues that the future of catechesis in the life of the Church is to be found in this holistic discipleship, and explores this holistic vision by examining catechesis in its relationship to Christian worship and liturgy, the teaching of doctrine, mission and social action, evangelism, preaching, communal life, and the sacraments.
Trade Review"Catechesis embodies the central calling of the Christian community to pass on the faith – living it, teaching it, being enriched by it. This is a bold book which captures both the scope and the urgency of the task. It will be a vital resource for all who take that central calling seriously." -- Humphrey Southern, Principal, Ripon College Cuddesdon
"This insightful and often exciting guide to Christian teaching really challenged me to think again about my own practice in terms of catechesis in which we enable people to echo the life of Christ himself. Teaching here is an action, doctrine a participation and our development in holiness a skillful exercise of virtue in which we venture ever more deeply into God's life. This book will give new confidence to those involved in Christian formation and demonstrate that belief and practice can never be separated." -- Alison Milbank, University of Nottingham, UK
Table of ContentsList of Contributors vii Preface Steven Croft ix Introduction Jarred Mercer xi 1. Beginning Catechesis: Where Do We Start? 1 Jarred Mercer 2. The Nature of Catechesis: An Invitation to Faithful Living 14 Jarred Mercer 3. Doing Doctrine: The Lived Experience of Christian Teaching 24 Peter Groves 4. Catechesis as Proclamation: Teaching the Faith through Preaching 36 Melanie Marshall 5. Sacramental Catechesis: Enacting Our Source and Aim 47 Jarred Mercer 6. Liturgy and Catechesis: Learning Christian Worship 59 Simon Cuff 7. Catechesis and the Cultivation of Virtue 73 Jonathan Jong 8. Instruction, Delight and Persuasion: Catechesis as Rhetoric 86 Mark Clavier 9. ‘Let the Little Children Come to Me’: Catechesis of Children 100 Clare Gardom Conclusion Jarred Mercer 112 Index of Bible References 115 Index of Names and Subjects 116
